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From our President

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

For an organization like the Cary Institute, it’s important every few years to sit back and reflect on where we’ve come and where we’re going. For the past six months, we’ve been doing exactly that, and in the process, writing a new strategic plan to guide the Cary Institute through most of the rest of this decade. Our plans are ambitious and constrained by tight resources. But enthusiasm and the pursuit of scholarly impact run deep.

Cary will continue to focus scientific research on the critical environmental problems facing the world, and increasingly we will attempt to translate and transmit the results of our findings to those in need—media, policy makers, the corporate world, and the public. This newsletter highlights a couple of ongoing projects—Gary Lovett’s work on forest pests and pathogens and Richard Ostfeld’s work on Lyme disease. Our upcoming forum on hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale will help disseminate current knowledge to citizens and local officials.

Water, health, and energy are all things that people care about. The Institute will strengthen its work on the ecology of freshwater ecosystems, disease ecology, the impacts of new sources of energy on the environment, and forest response to global changes in the environment. Our overall goal is to understand how ecosystems work, so that we can preserve, protect, and manage functional ecosystems for future generations.

We will also concentrate on the delivery of an exciting program of public events for the citizens of the mid-Hudson valley. We want you to become familiar with ecosystem science and what we do here every day. We hope all of you can join us for a Friday Night at Cary Institute program.

And, as always, we count on your support so that we can deliver the best science for a better future.